Osprey's Big Reveal: General Military

To round off our Big Reveal here is a look at the General Military titles coming out in 2017.

Samurai Armour: Volume I: The Japanese Cuirass

This volume, the first in a two-part series on the armour of the samurai, traces first the history of the samurai themselves and then examines the history and evolution of the cuirass or dou, the armour protecting the samurai’s chest.  Drawing on over 20 years of research and technical work by Trevor Absolon, a leading expert, this is a complete study of this fundamental aspect of samurai armour construction. Stunningly illustrated throughout, this is more than just a detailed technical exploration, it is a meditation on a process that was, and still is, nothing short of an art form.

Bloodstained Sands: US Amphibious Operations in World War II

For the men who served in America's Amphibious Forces during World War II, the conflict was an unceasing series of D-Days. They were responsible for putting men ashore in more than 200 landings throughout the conflict, most against well-entrenched enemy positions. Bloodstained Sands: US Amphibious Operations in World War II tells the story of these forgotten men for the first time, tracing their operational history from Guadalcanal to Casablanca, Sicily, Normandy, Iwo Jima and finally Okinawa. The men's stories are told in their own voices, with fascinating accounts from Underwater Demolition Teams, Attack Transport crews and many other unsung heroes of World War II.

With Their Bare Hands: General Pershing, the 79th Division and the battle for Montfaucon

Packed with stunning contemporary photographs and testimony from a wealth of primary sources from all sides of the conflict and all military ranks, With Their Bare Hands follows the 79th from its origins in 1917 through to the end of the war, with a focus on the bloody encounter at Montfaucon. Using the division as a window on the whole American Expeditionary Force, Gene Fax explores its achievements and failures, as well as showing how the lessons learned from this conflict ultimately affected American strategy in World War II.

A History of the Irish Guards in the Afghan and Iraq Campaigns 2001 – 2014

Irish Guardsmen have been involved in all aspects of the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq – from in Kabul in 2001, through the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to the eventual withdrawal in 2009, and the campaign in Helmand from 2006 to 2014.

This participation has been at every level from individual to battalion and widely dispersed – a complete picture of the British Army's experience in the post 9/11 years. This study, based on official records and numerous interviews with those who took part – from the brigade commanders down to the guardsmen on the ground – is a unique picture of one battalion's experiences through some of the most testing times the British Army has faced.

Sevastopol’s Wars: Crimea from Potemkin to Putin

In this groundbreaking volume, award-winning author Mungo Melvin explores how Sevastopol became the crucible of conflict over three major engagements – the Crimean War, the Russian Civil War and World War II – witnessing the death and destruction of countless armies yet creating the indomitable 'spirit of Sevastopol'. By weaving together first-hand interviews, detailed operational reports and battle analysis, Melvin creates a rich tapestry of history.

The Long Range Desert Group in World War II

Established in June 1940 as the brainchild of scientist and soldier Major Ralph Bagnold, a contemporary of Lawrence of Arabia, the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) allowed the British Army to gain a crucial advantage in the North African Front of World War II. Traversing great swathes of the desert that had never before been explored by Europeans, the LRDG was able to launch hit-and-run raids against remote enemy targets such as the fort and airfield at Murzak. From December 1941 until the end of the Desert War in May 1943, the LRDG carried out numerous missions in tandem with the Special Air Service, using their unparalleled knowledge of the desert to navigate the SAS to enemy airfields on which attacks would be launched. As well as in Africa, the LRDG also fought in the Aegean, undertaking dangerous missions in Yugoslavia, Albania, Italy and Greece, displaying their extraordinary versatility by operating in boats, on foot and by parachute.

Using never-before-published photographs and archival material, interviews with surviving veterans who have never before gone on record regarding their wartime exploits, and special access to the SAS archives, Gavin Mortimer tells the story of the origins and dramatic operations of Britain’s first ever special forces unit.

The History of the Panzerwaffe: Volume 2: 1943-45

The final years of World War II saw the legendary Panzerwaffe face its most difficult challenges, with Allied troops landing at Normandy and storming across the continent and the Russians gaining the upper hand on the Eastern Front. As Germany fought fiercely to hold on to the advantages gained in the early years, they relied heavily on the Panzer IV, the Panzer V Panther and the StuG III – the backbone of their infamous armoured divisions – to hold back their advancing opponents. This second volume on the Panzerwaffe offers a comprehensive guide to the final years of Germany's most famous fighting force, covering the further use of the Panzer IV, the role played by the StuG III assault gun and the battlefield debut of the formidable Panther. Explosive combat reports and rare archive photographs help uncover the final years of the Panzers, from their defence against the D-Day landings and the role they played in the Ardennes Offensive to their valiant last stand in Berlin.

Trieste ’45: First Battle of the Cold War

Trieste '45 is the story of one year in one city as the Cold War begins. The Western Allies had captured the Adriatic port city before the Russians could reach it, but having survived the war, everybody is now desperate to make it through the liberation. Life is fast and violent, as former warring parties find common cause against the Soviet Union and the borders of the new Europe are being hammered out. Against this deadly backdrop of intelligence operations, escape and revenge, the British and Americans are locked into the opening salvoes of the Cold War on the beautiful shores of the Adriatic, opposing the Russians and Yugoslavs.

Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants

Never exported outside of the Soviet Union and rarely used in combat, the T-10 has remained a mysterious tank, with many of its variants unknown in the West until very recently. This study, written from original Russian and Ukrainian primary source documents that have only recently been made available, uncovers the history of this enigmatic tank using stunning contemporary and modern photographs of the T-10 as well as full colour side-view artwork.

British Battle Tanks: British-made tanks of World War II

Plagued by unreliable vehicles and poorly thought-out doctrine, the early years of World War II were years of struggle for Britain’s tank corps. Relying on tanks built in the late 1930s, and those designed and built with limited resources in the opening years of the war, they toiled against an opponent well versed in the arts of armoured warfare. This book is the second of a multi-volume history of British tanks by renowned British armour expert David Fletcher MBE. It covers the development and use of the Matilda, Crusader, and Valentine tanks that pushed back the Axis in North Africa, the much-improved Churchill that fought with distinction from North Africa to Normandy, and the excellent Cromwell tank of 1944-45. It also looks at Britain's super-heavy tank projects, the TOG1 and TOG2, and the Tortoise heavy assault tank, designed to smash through the toughest of battlefield conditions, but never put into production.

1917: The Year of Offensives

Early in 1917 Allied leaders planned a series of offensives that were to take place as part of a programme of intensive operations along the Western Front. These included the attacks at Vimy Ridge, Arras, the Aisne, Messines and Cambrai, culminating in the brutal combat on the sodden fields of Passchendaele. 1917: The Year of Offensives examines each of these in turn, focusing on wider themes such as the changing nature of generalship on the Western Front, the use of new tactics and technology and the strain that these offensives put on the Allied armies, generals and political leaders. With revolution tearing Russia apart and mutiny brewing in the ranks of the French Army, these offensives, which were designed to take Germany out of the war, came close to destroying the Allies’ capacity to fight it.

Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II

Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Guadalcanal-Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II details the first Allied offensive of the Pacific War. It began with an amphibious assault of too little time, too few resources, and too much bureaucracy, culminating in the disastrous Battle of Savo Island that left the US Marines essentially abandoned on Guadalcanal. It continued as Henderson Field became a South Pacific black hole, sucking in ships, planes, and men, neither the Allies nor Japan able to break free, neither the Allies nor Japan able to decisively defeat the other. Indeed, the sides were so evenly matched that control of the waters around the island changed every dusk and every dawn. During that time, the US Navy had to painfully unlearn many of its prewar lessons, replace its bureaucratic mindset with an aggressive one, develop improvisation and creativity; and, ultimately, learn to win on the enemy’s terms. In so doing, it flipped roles with the Imperial Japanese Navy, whose prewar ingenuity and creativity had fostered the creation of its Pacific empire, but whose inflexibility and blindness left it in a battle of attrition it could not win.

Tiger

One of the most feared weapons of World War II, the Tiger tank was a beast of a machine which dominated the battlefields of Europe with its astonishing size, speed and firepower. In this comprehensive history Thomas Anderson draws upon original German archival material to tell the story of the birth of the Tiger, analysing its success on the battlefield and the many modifications and variants that also came into play. Illustrated throughout with rare photographs and drawings, many of which have never been published in English before, this is a unique history of easily the most famous tank ever produced.

The Splintered Empires: The Eastern Front 1917-21

At the beginning of 1917, the three empires fighting on the Eastern Front were reaching their breaking point, but none were closer than Russia. With the February Revolution Russia’s ability to wage war faltered and her last desperate gamble, the Kerensky Offensive, saw the final collapse of her army. This helped trigger the Bolshevik Revolution and a crippling peace, but the Central Powers had no opportunity to exploit their gains and a year later, both the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires surrendered and disintegrated.

Concluding his acclaimed series on the Eastern Front in World War I, Prit Buttar comprehensively details not only these climatic events, but also the ‘successor wars’ that raged long after the armistice of 1918. As new states rose from the ashes of empire, war raged as German forces sought to keep them under the auspices of the Fatherland. As Buttar explains, these unresolved tensions between the former Great Powers and the new states, would ultimately lead to a future new world war.

Case Red

Even after the legendary evacuation from Dunkirk in June 1940 there were still large British formations fighting the Germans alongside their French allies. They mounted a vigorous counterattack at Abbeville before engaging a tough defence along the Somme River, but their position was untenable. After hard fighting, the British were forced to conduct a second evacuation from the ports of Le Havre, Cherbourg, Brest and St Nazaire. While France was in its death throes, politicians and soldiers debated what to do – flee to England or North Africa or to seek an armistice.

Case Red captures the drama of the final three weeks of military operations in France in June 1940, and explains the great impact it had on the future course of relations between Britain and France during the war. It also addresses the military, political and human drama of France’s collapse in June 1940. and how the windfall of captured military equipment, fuel and industrial resources enhanced the Third Reich’s ability to attack its next foe – the Soviet Union

The Persian War: A military history

The victory of a few Greek city-states over the world's first superpower was an extraordinary military feat that secured the future of western civilization. All modern accounts of the war as a whole, and of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis, the best-known battles, depend on the ancient sources, foremost amongst them Herodotus but generally quote very little from them. This is the first book to bring together Herodotus' entire narrative and interweave it with other ancient voices to present the original texts that comprise almost all that is known about this immense clash of arms.

Silent Witness: Photography of the American Civil War

The Civil War changed America forever, shaped its future and determined its place in history. For the first time in military history, the camera was there to record these seismic events from innovations in military and naval warfare to the battles themselves, the commanders at critical juncture and the ordinary soldier tentatively posing for his first ever portrait on the eve of battle. Compiled by an acclaimed Civil War historian, this beautiful volume explores how the camera bore witness to the dramatic events of the Civil War. Moreover, it reveals not only how the first photographers plied their trade but also how photography helped shaped the outcome of the war itself leading to improvements in military mapping but perhaps most significantly how the war was reported to anxious families across the North and South.

Sturmgeschütz: Panzer, Panzerjäger and Luftwaffe Units 1943–45

During the inter-war years a new kind of support weapon was recommended to the German general staff by Erich von Manstein: an armoured assault gun designed to destroy prepared defensive positions and enemy tanks, laying the groundwork for an assault by the Panzers and Panzergrenadiers. First rolled out in 1940, the Sturmgeschütz assault gun was an instant success, and played a vital role in the Wehrmacht throughout the war. Cheaper and quicker to produce than the German Panzers, it was deployed widely and with great success, particularly in the later years of the war, forming an integral part of armoured units as well as its more traditional infantry support role. This book traces the story of the Sturmgeschütz from its original design in the 1930s through to its use in the last desperate days of the German war effort. Drawing on original material from German archives and private collections, and replete with over 200 images, tells the thrilling story of the Wehrmacht’s unsung workhorse.

The Elite: The A-Z Encyclopedia of Modern Special Forces

The Elite: The A-Z Encyclopedia of Modern Special Forces covers a vast array of topics allowing the reader to go back in time to operations such as Eagle Claw in Iran and the recapture of the Iranian Embassy in London and then forward to recent operations against al Shabaab and Islamic State. Entries also detail units ranging from the New Zealand SAS Group to the Polish GROM; key individuals from Iraq counter-terrorism strategist General Stanley McChrystal to Victoria Cross winner SASR Corporal Mark Donaldson; significant battles ranging from the SEAL Team 6 rescue of Governor Paul Scoon on the island of Grenada in 1983 to the Delta Force hostage rescue of a Kurdish fighter facing imminent execution in Northern Iraq from October last year. Additionally, it will examine the key weapons, helicopters, aircraft vehicles and ancillary equipment used by today’s Special Forces.

Plenty there to get excited about - let us know what you think in the comments section below!